Emily-Rose Bennett | The Saginaw NewsBenjamin Andrews, 28, of Saginaw was voted as one of the Saginawians of the Year.

SAGINAW— When Amanda K. Bullard picked up the newspaper last month, a question caught her eye: Do you know someone deserving of recognition as a Saginawian of the Year?

“One name came to mind: Benjamin Andrews,” said Bullard, 28, patient transporter for St. Mary’s of Michigan hospital. “I figured a lot of people would be nominated, so I just threw Ben’s name in there.”

“It’s a good feeling, not so much that I’m being recognized, but that what I’m doing is being recognized,” said Andrews, a 28-year-old employee of the Andrews Services, a family-owned maintenance company.

Bullard said she nominated Andrews because he hosts family skate nights at Gilli’s Skating & Fun Center, 5550 Brockway in Saginaw Township, offering free admission with a food donation to benefit the City Rescue Mission of Saginaw, 1021 Burt.

Andrews said the owner made the family nights possible by donating the rink free of charge.

Andrews, a married father of three, said times are tough, and he knows the feeling when kids say, “I’m bored.”

“I have the ability to let people have a good time for free,” he said.

Bullard said even though attendance has dropped slightly, Andrews has not given up hope of bringing more people in the community together.

“The next event is scheduled toward the end of January. Admission will be a small monetary donation that will go toward the Saginaw fireworks display,” Andrews said.

In addition to hosting the event, Andrews also started the Facebook page Saginaw Michigan to highlight positive things around the city. Once word spread, it took less than a year to reach the friend limit of 5,000. He said critics called him “lame” for posting positive pictures on the page. “I’ve received my share of hate mail,” Andrews said.

“Ben was trying to inspire pride in the city while everyone else was trying to tear it down,” Bullard said.

“There is always more positive than negative,” Andrews said. “People just focus on the negative. It could become a self-fulfilling prophesy when people keep talking negatively about Saginaw.”

Andrews said the page is not only for people; he encourages businesses to promote there as well.

“Businesses are as much a part of Saginaw as people are. One does well, we all do well,” said Andrews. “This page is for the community.”

His new venture, www.thesaginawpost.com, will provide a way for those without Facebook accounts to be updated on local events and goings-on from the social networking site. Visitors can “take part in contests, be introduced to local business owners and see what is going on with our neighbors,” according to the site.

Andrews said he does things “not for the glory” but “for the self satisfaction at the end of the day, knowing I used my abilities to help.”

He recalls a time this summer when he and a friend who owns a landscaping business cleaned a boat docking area near Niagara Street. Andrews said they spent four hours sweeping glass, peeling stickers from benches and picking up trash.

“I’m not someone that’s doing it for the spotlight,” said Andrews. “I do it because I have the ability to. At the end of the day, I’m happy.”